I Will Be There for You
by ReadBooksWriteThings
Summary: A bunch of Harry Potter one-shots in the Hurt/Comfort and Romance genre. These are just some romancy comfort stories that I decided to bundle into a collection. Enjoy!
1. I Will Always Love You (Drastoria)

**I wrote this for the amazing Rasiaa as part of the November One-Shot Exchange from HPFC. The part about Astoria is based off of information from the Cursed Child. I really hope you like** **this story.**

**Prompts Used: Draco/Astoria (pairing), romance (genre), sickness, "Go on. I dare you. Make me weep."**

**Word Count (excluding A/N): 1'562**

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"Hey Tori, can I talk to you for a minute?"

Astoria looked up to see her boyfriend Draco standing in front of her.

"Sure," she said, moving over on the couch and gesturing for him to sit, "How did you even get in here?"

"Daphne let me in," he said, sitting next to her.

"Oh okay." She smiled and put her book down, "I'm glad to see you."

"I'm happy to see you too." His smile was genuine but he seemed a little nervous. He was biting his nails and kept fidgeting with something in the pocket of his robes.

"Wait," she said suddenly, "I have to talk to you about something too. It's really important."

Draco grinned, "Can I go first then?"

Astoria sighed, he obviously didn't realize that what she had to tell him was more important than whatever he wanted to say.

"It's really important Draco. I've been trying to work out how to tell you for days."

For some strange reason, his smile grew. "Come on Tori, I've been wanting to tell you this for weeks. Surely whatever you want to tell me can wait for just a few minutes."

She smiled, she could just tell him her news later. He seemed really eager to tell her something.

"Alright, you can go first."

Draco smiled, "Well, I just wanted to tell you how much I love you and how much you mean to me."

"Oh," she said, taken by surprise. Draco wasn't the type of person who said things like that just out of the blue. "I love you too Draco, but is everything-"

"Just let me finish," he said, taking her hand. "Ever since my sixth year, where I had to-"

He cut off and looked down, biting his lip. Astoria knew it was hard for him to talk about the year where the He Who Must Not be Named had ordered him to kill Dumbledore in exchange for the life and well being of his parents.

"Shh," she said, lifting his chin and placing a soft kiss on his forehead, "I know what you're talking about. You don't have to talk about that. Just tell me what you're trying to say."

He looked over at her, a soft smile playing at his lips, "And ever since _that _happened," his hands gestured around vaguely, "You know I haven't been in the best of places."

"No kidding," she mumbled, remembering all the time Draco had spent alone in his house after the war. Refusing to talk, to eat, to even look at anyone.

"And then you came along and helped me realize that happiness is still out there, that I won't spend my whole life in sorrow. You helped me smile again, something I thought I would never do. You helped me realize that the world isn't all evil. You made me realize how much I love you."

Astoria, who had been smiling the entire time as he spoke, froze. He couldn't be saying what she thought he was going to say. Not after what the healers had told her last week. Not after everything she had been through these past few days, he couldn't be saying this. Not now, not ever.

"Draco," she said softly, "You're not saying what I think you're saying right?"

"If what you think I'm going to say is what I'm actually going to say, then you're right." He smiled and gave her a soft kiss. Then, he pulled out a small box from his robes and got down onto one knee. "Astoria Greengrass," he said, holding the ring inside the box out to her, "I love you and I always will. Will you be my wife?"

Astoria brought a hand to her mouth, not in shock, but to keep herself from crying. She loved Draco, she loved him more than anything but she wouldn't let herself burden him by marrying him. A tear plopped onto her lap and she buried her head in her hands.

"Tori?" Draco reached out to touch her face. She shrank back, stifling a sob.

"Astoria, what's wrong?" Draco asked, confusion obvious in his voice. "Why are you crying?" He paused, then asked, "Don't you want to marry me? We're dating, I thought you would be happy. Don't you love me?"

Astoria looked up, wiping away her tears. "Of course I love you Draco."

"Then why don't you want to marry me?"

"It's not that I don't want to marry you..."

"Then what is it?" Draco sounded hurt now and a little angry.

"I can't tell you."

Draco raised his eyebrows, "When did we start keeping secrets from each other?"

She bit her lip, "It's not like that Draco. Merlin's beard Draco, why can't you understand? It's not like that at all."

"Then why won't you tell me?"

"I can't."

He gave her a kiss, "You can tell me anything. It doesn't matter what it is. Just tell me."

"No," she said, her voice raising, "I can't tell you."

Draco's face changed. He whispered, "Is it bad?"

She nodded, not even bothering to hide her tears anymore. They flowed down her cheeks.

"Tori..." He pulled her close and she stiffened before relishing his touch. "Astoria, please tell me what's going on."

She took a deep breath before finally telling him the truth.

"Do you remember the blood malediction I told you about? The one that my great great grandfather got cursed with."

Draco paused, his eyes going wide. "Wait. You don't mean that-"

She brushed away a fresh onset of tears. "Yes, I do mean that. The blood malediction resurfaced in me." Draco opened his mouth to speak and she talked faster. "It's the reason I've always gotten sick so easily, the reason that I'm so frail."

"Astoria-"

"My mom and dad took me to the healers last week. I was feeling really sick and dizzy. I couldn't even stand up most of the time. I kept fainting. It was really bad."

"But-"

"The healers ran a bunch of tests. And that's when they told me." Her voice trembled. "That's when they told me that the blood curse resurfaced in me."

"What-"

"I thought maybe I would just be fragile for the rest of my life. But it's worse than that. It means-" She cut off and buried her face in her hands.

"Astoria," Draco said softly, "What does it mean?"

"It means life long fragility, and-" She bit back another sob. "It means early death."

Astoria felt as Draco froze, heard his breath hitch.

"Tori," he said, his voice breaking, "Oh Astoria...I'm so sorry."

"It's not your fault," she said as she turned away, hiding her face. She briefly wondered what Draco was thinking. But she didn't want to know. She knew Draco wouldn't want her anymore. Not when she was so fragile. Not when marrying her meant he would soon be widowed. Not when giving birth would weaken her and probably make her die even sooner. He would never want her now and probably not ever.

"Astoria," he said, his voice not much louder than whisper, "Can I say something?"

She sniffed, "Go on. I dare you. Make me weep."

"What do you mean?"

She looked up. He wasn't joking or messing around with her. He looked genuinely confused.

"What do _you_ mean 'what do you mean'?"

"I don't get it," he said, reaching for her, "You sound like you think I'm not going to want to marry you anymore. That I won't love you anymore."

She froze, not wanting to get her hopes up. "Wait, you still want to marry me? Even after everything I said, you-"

"Do you really think that low of me Astoria?" Draco said, something unrecognizable in his eyes.

"Of course not!" Astoria said, trying to get Draco to understand how she was feeling. "It's just why would you ever want to marry me now?"

"I still love you!" Draco said, getting up and pacing the room. A sure sign that he was feeling angry and overwhelmed. "How could I not? You're still the Tori that I know and love! You think that because of this blood curse, one that I already know lies in your family, I won't want to marry you."

"Draco," she sighed, "It's different now. It's not just in my genes, the whole curse is in me now."

Draco stopped, pulling Astoria to her feet. "I _love_ you Astoria, and I always will. You don't have to be afraid." He pulled her into a hug and she smiled, knowing that Draco was telling the truth.

"Does that mean we can get married now?"

Draco grinned, "Of course it does." He slipped the golden ring onto her finger.

Astoria kissed him, kissed him fiercer than she had ever done before. He reacted strongly and they melted into each other.

"I love you Draco," she whispered.

He smiled, trailing kisses down her cheek before whispering into her ear, "And I will always love you."


	2. Don't Worry (AliciaKatie)

**Here's a femmeslash story for you! This is my first one and I think it turned out pretty good. I was inspired to write this because of 'The Sapphic Season' challenge on HPFC. This is a drabble with Katie confiding in Alicia about her fears of the upcoming war and something else too. ****Hope you enjoy!**

**HPFC**

**Alicia/Katie**

**Friends to Lovers - 2 pts**

**The Golden Snitch**

**Beauxbatons, Barbegazi**

**Santa Claus is coming to town**

**Naughty- 3. Write about the loss of innocence **

**Word Count: ****758**

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Alicia sighed as she turned the page of her textbook, Quidditch had been cancelled because of the horrible rain outside and she was stuck preparing for her N.E.W.T exams. The team couldn't have practiced anyway, because practicing with only four players was useless. She wished that Harry and the twins hadn't gotten themselves kicked off the team. Then she wouldn't be stuck studying Transfiguration, her worst subject.

She heard the door slam and looked up to see Katie walking towards her. Normally, this wouldn't have surprised her, the two were inseparable and were always visiting each others dorm. But Katie was in tears.

"Katie," Alicia said, putting down her book, "What's wrong?"

Katie sniffed as she sat down next to her best friend. "Remember when I made the Quidditch team?"

Alicia paused, confused, "Yeah."

"We were so young. I was a second year and you were so happy to be made an official member. We were so happy and carefree."

"What do you mean?"

"Everything used to be so simple." Katie rested her head on Alicia's shoulder. "Now nothing makes sense anymore."

Alicia wondered what Katie meant.

"We used to be so innocent," she said as more silent tears fell, "And look at what's happening now."

Alicia raised a hand to wipe at Katie's tears. "I don't get it. What's gotten you so worked up?"

"You're leaving Hogwarts next year. You're the only person I can trust and-"

"I know Kat," she said, cutting off whatever Katie was going to say, "But we can still write letters, it's not like anything is going to happen to us."

"There's a war coming Alicia. A war! Who knows what could happen."

"Kat," she said softly, wrapping her arms around her, "We don't know that the war is happening for sure."

"Yes, we do. Who-Know-Who is getting stronger and when the war comes, I don't want us to get hurt."

"Nothing is going to happen to us, Katie."

"But you don't know that, anything could happen. It's a war." She burst into tears once again.

"Shh, it's okay," Alicia whispered, " It's going to be okay."

"If one of us gets injured, or worse," Katie started, "I'll never forgive myself."

"I wouldn't either. That's why I won't let anything happen to you."

"But you don't understand," Katie wiped away her tears and sat up straight. "Alicia, there's something that I haven't told you."

Alicia froze, surely Katie wasn't going to say what she thought she was going to say. "What do you mean?"

"I guess I've been hiding something from you."

Alicia felt butterflies start to flutter in her stomach.

"Ever since we first met, you've always been my best friend. The person that I could trust, the person that I could turn to. I've always thought that we would stay best friends but...for the past year or so, I've felt something different. Something bigger than friendship."

The butterflies seemed to have turned into birds.

"It's okay if you don't feel the same way, I'm happy being best friends. But I want more than that. And..."

"Just say it," Alicia said, not wanting to get excited. Not yet at least. Not until she could figure out if Katie shared her feelings. "Whatever it is, please just say it."

She took deep breath, "I love you Alicia, like more than just a friend." Alicia felt her heart soar. "I understand if you don't feel the same way, but I just thought that I should tell you, just in case-"

Alicia cut of her words with a kiss. And Merlin's beard, this kiss was nothing like one she had had before. Those were mediocore at best compared to this. Kissing Katie created a fire within her. She needed more and more. This was passionate, fierce and loving. Whether the kiss lasted seconds or years, Alicia didn't know, she never wanted it to end.

Katie pulled away slightly, "Bloody hell," she murmured, "That was amazing." She leaned back in to kiss Alicia once again. The two held to each other. The war could wait, studying could wait. They didn't have to worry, they were together.


	3. We'll do it Together (SiriusMarlene)

**This was written for the Christmas Song Russian Roulette event on The Golden Snitch Forum.**

**Beauxbaton, Barbegazi**

**The song I got was Fairytale of New York by the Pogues.**

**Additional Prompts**

**4\. (emotion) love**

**7\. (character) Sirius Black**

**I initially had a hard time coming up with a fic for this song. I eventually took inspiration from the second verse where it talks about all dreams coming true and seeing a better future. So I decided to make this a sort of hurt/comfort and romance fic in which Sirius comforts Marlene about the upcoming war and promising her that things will get better in the future.**

**Word Count: 1199**

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Sirius smiled as he stretched out in the grass. It was the perfect day. The sun was shining down on all of Hogwarts and the seventh years had just finished the last of their N.E.W.T exams. Every student was celebrating the end of the exhausting exams. Sirius had just finished a party with the other Marauders, James had left early to go on a date with Lily, and was now waiting for his girlfriend, Marlene to arrive. They had plans to spend the rest of the day together.

"Hey Sirius," Marlene said, dropping to the floor next to him, "How do you think you did on Defense Against the Dark Arts and Charms?"

He smiled, tracing his finger down her cheek, "I did alright. I probably got an Outstanding in Defense Against the Dark Arts, I really hope I did. I'm sure I got all the spells right. Charms was okay, I expect an Exceeds Expectations at the very least. How about you?"

"Well-"

"Wait no," he smirked, "Let me guess." He mimicked Marlene's voice, "Oh, Sirius, I did dreadful. I messed up one incantation," he flopped on the floor, feigning great distress, "I'm probably going to fail!"

Marlene smacked his arm, but she was laughing as well. "Sirius Orion Black. I do _not _act like that!"

Sirius flinched at the use of his full name.

"Sorry," Marlene said quickly, "I meant Sirius."

He sighed, sitting up straight again, "It's alright. So how did you actually do?"

"Good. I'm sure I got everything right, I'll probably get an Outstanding in both."

He scoffed, "Only you could talk about getting two Outstanding in one day so casually," he gave her a peck on the cheek, "My girlfriend is such a know-it-all."

"I am not a know-it-all. It's just that I actually care about my studies and what I'll do after I graduate from Hogwarts."

He laughed, "Brains like that Marlene, and you'll be working for the ministry in no time for sure. Wouldn't want to waste that potential, do we?."

She winced, "I guess," she bit her lip as Sirius looked at her carefully. Taking a chance to get the attention off of herself she smiled and asked, "So what are you planning to do once we finally graduate?"

Sirius wasn't smiling, "Don't even try that trick with me, Marlene."

"What are you talking about," she asked, feigning confusion, hoping Sirius wouldn't press the matter.

"You're hiding something," he said, crossing his arms over his chest, "I know you are, you have this look in your eyes."

Her stomach sank, she couldn't tell Sirius, he wouldn't understand. "I don't know what you're talking about," she said again, "I'm not hiding anything from you."

"Marlene," he said, "You can tell me anything."

She bowed her head, not wanting to meet his eyes, "No, not this."

Sirius was silent for a while. When he finally spoke, his voice was low, but there was no mistaking the edge behind it. "When did we start keeping secrets fro each other?"

"Come on Sirius," she said, "I can't tell you, and even if I could, I wouldn't. You wouldn't understand."

"What won't I understand? You don't have to hide things from me. This isn't fair, I don't care what it is."

She laughed bitterly, "Oh, you will care."

"Then tell me," he said, "It can't possibly be that bad."

She sighed, "Last week, Dumbledore called me to his office."

Sirius frowned, "What did he want?"

Marlene took a deep breath, "You know that rumor that was going around? The one that Dumbledore was recruiting people to form a sort of anti You-Know-Who army."

"Yes," Sirius said slowly, then his face paled, "You don't mean-"

"Yes, I do. It's real and Dumbledore wants me to join and to get as many people to join with me as I can."

"Well, what did you tell him?"

"I said I would think about it."

Sirius took his girlfriend's hands, "That is a big opportunity, Marlene. But I'm worried for you."

She removed her hands from his grasp, "I told you you wouldn't get it."

"Marlene-"

"No, don't you understand how I feel? We're useless here at Hogwarts, but once we graduate, we can make a difference."

"I know but I don't want you to go alone."

"You could join too," she said quietly, "You and the other Marauders. Haven't you guys always wanted to be a part of something like this?"

Sirius paused, "Yes," his face lit up, "That's a great idea, Marlene." He kissed her, "You're brilliant!"

The two smiled and for a moment Marlene forgot all of her worries. But, all too soon, they came back.

"Sirius," she said quietly, "How long do you think this war is going to last?"

"I don't know," he said, a solemn expression taking over his usually happy face, "It could last for years. It'll keep going until Voldemort-" he pretended not to notice Marlene's violent shiver, "is defeated or..."

"Or what?" Marlene asked, already knowing the answer.

He gave her a grim smile, "If Voldemort," again he ignored Marlene's shudder, he was used to it by now, "isn't defeated then this war will go on until everyone on the light side has been defeated. Because there is no way Dumbledore would ever give up before then."

"I want to be a part of Dumbledore's group," Marlene began, "But I'm scared."

Sirius took her hand.

"Why?"

"Because what if we die? What if we get hurt? The future doesn't look to bright for us." Marlene turned away as tears rolled down her cheeks.

"Look Marlene," Sirius said softly, turning her face so they were looking into each other's eyes, "This war won't go on forever. It has to end soon," he smiled, "And when it does, we'll all be safe and happy."

"But what if we don't live to see that day?"

"We will," he said, his voice so confident that Marlene had no choice but to believe him. "We will live to see the future because I would never let anything happen to you and I know you would never let anything happen to me. The future is bright, Marlene, I can feel it."

She smiled, "Maybe you're right."

He smirked, "Of course, I'm right."

"What do you think we'll be doing in the future?"

"Well, we'll be together of course. We'll live right next door to James and Lily-"

"And Remus, Mary, and Peter can live on the same street."

"Right. And we'll meet every single week for dinners."

"Our kids will all be best friends."

"They'll be more than that, they'll be family."

Marlene smiled, "I love you Sirius."

He kissed her, "I love you too."

"Come on, let's go tell the others our plan."

"You've got it."


	4. We'll Be Safe (Jily)

**I'm writing this for owlwayssandforever as my May gift for the GGE of 2020. Yes, I know it's three days late and I'm super sorry about that. I wanted to make it the best I could. **

**I used these prompts: ****Jily, Person A can tell that Person B is having a nightmare because they're making weird noises/motions in their sleep so Person A wakes them up and asks if they're okay, and royalty**.

**I made a royalty!au while trying to make it follow canon details. I really h****ope you like this!**

**Word Count: 989**

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King James Potter awoke suddenly, feeling the cool January breeze streaming in through open window of their palace. He frowned at the chill before realizing Lily had pulled all the blankets to her side. A smile grew on his lips, that was just like her.

He rolled on his side to gaze at his wife, meaning to drift back to sleep, but Lily was tossing and turning. Her hands were shaking and there was a sheen of sweat building on her forehead.

"Lily?" he said softly, not wanting to awake their six-month baby, Harry.

She continued to roll about, starting to mumble. It almost sounded desperate. Like pleading.

James leaned forward to hear what she was saying.

"No, please," she mumbled. "Please not Harry. I'll do anything."

He put a hand on her shoulder. Last month, the two of them had figured out that King Voldemort, the king of another kingdom, planned to take over the Kingdom of Godric. Even worse, King Voldemort, who had risen to power by killing his own father, planned to capture Harry and raise him as his own. It was widely rumoured that King Voldemort was not capable of love and just wanted the power that a son could help him get. James and Lily had done everything they could—employing more guards, stashing away valuables, limiting public appearances, and maximizing security—but that didn't stop Lily from having nightmares of losing their son every night.

"Lily," he said, speaking a little louder. "Lily, wake up, darling. You're just dreaming, it's not real.

Lily let out a sob in her sleep, clutching the blankets even tighter.

"No," she mumbled. "Please. Please, I beg you!"

James bit his lip. Hearing his wife in such distress, even in her sleep, was torturous for him.

"Take me instead. Please!" Her voice grew louder and James, not being able to bear seeing his wife in such a panicked state, started to shake her.

"Lily, wake up!"

She jerked awake, tears streaming from her emerald eyes. She glanced quickly between James and the crib where Harry was still fast asleep, as though reassuring herself that they were safe. For a minute, she was panicked. James could hardly get her to calm down. After, with a chocked back sob, she leaned into him, her tears quickly making the front of his shirt damp. James hugged her, making soothing noises until her sobs reduced to the occasional sniffle.

"You okay?" he asked quietly.

Lily wiped away a tear with the sleeve of her red night gown. "Just another nightmare. It was really scary this time."

He touched his lips to her forehead. "What was it about?

"King Voldemort broke in and you tried to fight him and—" she broke off, choking back another sob.

"Then what happened?"

She swallowed. "He had all these guards, and they killed you! And there was nothing I could do. Then he came up here and tried to take Harry. Only I stood in his way and he wanted to have me killed too. He was going to take Harry!" She wiped away more tears but didn't cry again, obviously trying to stay strong.

"Shh," he said, trying not to show her how afraid he was. "I won't ever let Voldemort near you or Harry."

"But what about you?"

"We have guards who I trust with my life." Lily didn't say anything, just huddled closer to him. They remained in silence for a while, James occasionally stroking Lily's thick hair. "Feel any better now?"

She shook her head. "I'm scared."

He sighed, kissing her forehead. "I know. I'm scared too."

"We can't lose him."

They both glanced at Harry, who was sleeping soundly in his crib. The boy who many believed would grow to be the best king any kingdom had ever seen. The boy who King Voldemort wanted so badly.

"He'll be fine. We've known Sirius, Remus, and Peter for years. They are my closest friends and the best possible guards. The three of them would never let Voldemort get near Harry or either of us.

Lily sighed, snuggling up next to him. Her red hair tickled his neck. "I'm just so worried."

"We'll be safe," he said firmly. "I know we will."

Harry, woken by the sound of their voices, started to wail. Lily's lips formed a soft smile as she went to go pick him up. Cradling their son in her arms, she snuggled back into their huge bed. James watched as Lily cooed at Harry until he stopped fussing. He picked Harry up, giving the baby a soft kiss on the cheek. Lily smiled up at him, admiration shining in her eyes.

"You know," she started, her voice taking on a nostalgic feel, "when we first met, I would have never thought that you would become my husband."

James laughed. "You hated me."

"I did not!"

"Oh yes, you did. Don't worry, it only took you six years to realize how much you loved me."

James remembered what the two of them had been like as kids. Even though he was in line for the throne, his parents wanted him to go to public school like a normal kid. The moment he had met Lily, he had butterflies in his stomach and wanted nothing more than to always be around her. Lily, who was just a commoner, had thought that he was an obnoxious, rich, and stuck-up royal. After years and years of quarrels, Lily had finally begun to realize that she liked him. A few short years later and here they were, married with the best son in the world.

Life couldn't be any better.

Harry giggled and babbled something.

"What is it, baby?" Lily asked.

Harry's baby fist pointed up at the window, where James saw the stars fading away as the sun rose.

"Wow, Harry," Lily smiled at James. "Isn't that pretty?"

He kissed her softly. It was indeed.


	5. One Day, This Will All Be Over (Romione)

**This one shot is for Cheeky Slytherin Lass**** as my June gift for the Gift Giving Extravaganza of 2020. I really hope you like it as I tried my best.**

**These are the prompts I used: RonHermione, hurt/comfort, breakfast in bed, Voldemort wins!au, teacup**

**Word Count (minus A/N): 1672**

**Warnings: death and ptsd**

* * *

Ron didn't even wince as rays from the sun shone directly through his window and into his eyes. If he was being honest with himself, he didn't care about anything that happened anymore. Not even one bit.

The Battle of Hogwarts had happened a week ago—no longer than that. Maybe two weeks? He couldn't be sure. He had watched members of his family die right in front of him and than, not even an hour later, figured out that You-Know-Who had killed his best friend. Ron remembered that day like it had just happened. A memory freshly etched into his brain.

_"Harry Potter is dead!" a voice rang out into the courtyard. Voldemort stood in front of the remaining Hogwarts' residents, laughing in triumph. But Ron shook his head. _

_It was all a trick. It had to be. Harry had had a plan. Voldemort was just bluffing._

_He was aware of nails digging into his arm. Hermione was clinging to him, her face deathly pale._

_"Who's that?" Ginny said quietly on his other side. "Who's that Hagrid's carrying?"_

_Ron frowned. He hadn't noticed that Hagrid was there. He squinted and saw that the giant he had grown to befriend was in fact carrying something in his arms. Something limp, long, and with a mess of black hair. Even from here he could see the broken glasses half-tangled in the figure's hair. It was Harry._

_A sharp pain in his knees told him that he had fallen to the ground. Everyone was screaming. Crying out in disbelief. Harry, who was supposed to help them all, was dead._

_"Harry!" Hermione and Ginny cried, rushing forwards together before someone—his dad—held them back. George was staring forwards motionlessly, still in shock over losing his twin. Slughorn was holding back a shouting McGonagall, who had her wand raised and tears streaming down her cheeks._

_But someone else was still screaming._

_Before anyone could do anything, Neville ran out from the crowd, wielding a sword in his arms. It only took a moment for him to recognize it as the sword of Gryffindor. _

_"Neville, no!" he shouted, jumping to his feet. Arms wrapped around Ron, forcing him back. With another shout, Ron ripped free of the grasps. But it was too late. Neville had already reached Voldemort and his followers. Stuck in the crowd, Ron could only watch with horror as Neville brought the sword down. He expected Neville to strike at Voldemort or one of the Death Eaters. But instead he struck the snake, beheading it in a clean slice._

_Voldemort gave a cry of fury as his pet died and turned his wand on Neville, killing him with the killing curse before the teen could even cry out. Ron watched it all unfold, frozen. He felt like he was watching everything from a dream. He couldn't move. He couldn't think. He couldn't feel._

The scene changed.

_Ron was battling a Death Eater. Even though everyone knew their side had lost, they were still fighting. Hoping for a chance that some Death Eaters could be defeated. Ron didn't even know how he was fighting. Fred was dead. Harry was dead. Lupin and Tonks were dead. And he was still here._

_A blood curling scream brought him back to his senses._

_That was Hermione's scream. It was for sure._

_"Stupefy!" he shouted, sending the Death Eater he was battling to the ground. He spun around, searching for his girlfriend desperately. His heart stopped when he saw her lying on the floor. He sprinted through the battle to get to her._

_He leaned beside her. "Hermione? Hermione, answer me!"_

_She looked up at him, her eyes filled with tears. _

_"What is it!" he begged. "Are you hurt?"_

_With a trembling finger, she pointed just over his shoulder. He turned around slowly, expecting the worst. _

_Nothing would have prepared him for this._

_Ginny was lying. crumpled, on the floor. He only had to watch for a second to realize that his little sister wasn't going to get up._

_Bellatrix cackled somewhere above him._

_"NO!" this scream was even more familiar. _

_His mum was screaming at the sight of her daughter's dead body. Ron could only watch, frozen, as his mum threw herself at Bellatrix, bringing the two of them into a deep battle. His mum was dead in five minutes._

A loud knock sounded throughout the room.

Ron looked up, dazed. The sun was already all the way up in the sky. _Had time really passed by so quickly?_

"Go away!" he shouted, not caring who was on the other side. "I'm not coming out!" He hadn't left the room since they had come back home. Why start now?

The knock came again and Ron realized that it was far too soft to be his dad or Percy. Bill was at his house with Fleur and George would never come out of his own room anyway.

"Who is it?" he sighed.

"Ron, please let me in. It's Hermione. Percy invited me over."

Of course. The only person who he would listen to. Smart. bossy, sweet Hermione. He couldn't ignore her.

He ran his fingers thorough his hair, both to make it more presentable and to relieve some of his stress. Then, he sat on his bed. Perhaps she would think he had just woken up. "Come in," he mumbled.

The door opened and Hermione came through, carrying a tray with two bagels and two cups of tea.

"Hey, she said softly, taking a seat beside him. She set the tray on his nightstand. "I've missed you."

That was a smart thing to say, he figured. At least she hadn't asked how he was doing. Because how in Merlin's name would he be able to answer that.

"I've missed you too." A sudden thought came to his head. "Where have you been? I haven't seem you since the—" he broke off, looking down at his lap.

Hermione placed her hand over his. "I've been fixing up my parents' house, trying to get it back to normal and not so abandoned-looking for when I give them back their memories.

"You haven't done it yet?"

There was a long pause. "No. I just can't. It would mean explaining to my parents that I've wiped their memories. And I would have to tell them all that's happened here."

Ron didn't know what to say. He opened his mouth, he guessed he was going to ask her another safe question. Instead, he surprised himself by bursting into tears.

There was only a second of hesitation before Hermione put her arms around him, pulling him as close to her as she could. She murmured reassuringly but Ron could hear the tremble in her voice.

He was so tired. Of all of it. He was exhausted and everything was just so hard.

"I'm sorry," he choked out after a couple of minutes of pure sobbing. "It's just that—I miss them so much!"

"I know," her voice shook. I miss them too."

"Harry, George, and Ginny," he said, wiping away his tears. He hated being weak. "They were so young. I never thought they would...die."

"I know," she said again, leaning her head on his shoulder. "I thought we could win this war."

Ron couldn't stop his mind from thinking of the worst. "I wonder what's going to happen to us all now?"

Everyone at Hogwarts had fled shortly after many more of their own deaths happened. All wizards and witches were in lockdown as Voldemort strolled around, killing anyone known to still be on the side of light. Ron and his family—or what was left of it—were hidden in a safety house his dad had built a few years prior. They were prime targets for the Death Eaters.

Hermione shuddered. "Let's not think about the future now."

He sighed. They didn't know what was going to happen so avoiding the truth didn't seem like that bad of an idea. It was better not to think about it.

After what seemed like a long time of silence, Hermione pointed over to his nightstand. "I brought us breakfast. Although it must be past lunch by now."

Still, they decided to have breakfast for lunch instead of leave the room and face Percy and his dad. Or George. They were all grieving as well and Ron just couldn't be around them.

Wrapping his blankets around the two of them, they ate their bagels slowly, talking about anything that wasn't the future. Or about the war. Instead, they talked about their times at Hogwarts, the first few years, staying away from conversations about Harry, Lupin, and his own dead family.

Ron reached for some tea and felt his throat close up.

"What's wrong?" Hermione whispered into his neck.

"These teacups. They're from my mum's side of the family." His voice sounded quite emotionless.

"Oh, I didn't know. I'm so sorry."

"Don't say sorry," he said fingering the designs on the antique. "It's not your fault." He squeezed his eyes shut, trying desperately to ward off images of his family drinking from these exact cups.

Hermione wrapping her arms around him brought him out of his mind.

"Things are going to be so different now," she said softly.

"I know."

"But we'll be okay."

He felt a brief flare of anger. "How can you say that? After all we've been through."

"That's just what I mean. It has to get better somewhere. Voldemort can't rule forever."

Ron sighed. Although Hermione often got on his nerves when he was younger, she was almost always right about everything. She had a way of speaking that made you want to believe whatever she said.

"I guess you're right," he whispered back, setting the cup down and pulling her in close to him. "It'll be over one day."

He tried not to think. Not about the dead. Not about Voldemort. Not about the Death Eaters hunting down everyone on the side of good.

_One day, this will all be over._


End file.
